Corned Beef Hash

 

Virtually all recipes for Corned Beef Hash specify a combination of pre-cooked corned beef, potatoes, and onions.  I've always used Julia's recipe from Julia Child & Company with very satisfactory results.  The major trick is to bind the hash sufficiently to keep it together without making it a brick.  Julia uses an addition of flour which results in too pasty a binding.  adding heavy cream slowly seems to be the best compromise.  In the end, I've become accustomed to a well-crusted hash with a minimum of binding.  be sure to allow enough time to form a crust several times, turning it into the hash until the end.

 

• 3 cups minced onions
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

 

• 4 cups cooked corned beef, chopped into 3/16" cubes
• 4 cups boiled potatoes, diced into 1/4" cubes
• all the bouillon from boiling the beef

 

• 1/2 tsp sage, thyme, and/or oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

 

1. Saute the onions slowly in the butter and oil and then brown lightly.  For the quantity, I use two frying pans; the cast iron one is clearly superior to the Calphalon one for formed the crusts.
2. Add the corned beef and potatoes along with all of the bouillon produced when the corned beef was boiled.  Reduce the bouillon over high heat until nearly all gone.
3. Add the herbs and some cream and cook slowly over low heat until the bottom is crusted.  Turn the crust into the hash and continue for a second crust.  Add the parsley and turn again.  Continue cooking slowly for the final crust using additional cream as desired.
4. Place a poached or fried egg on each serving.  Plenty of ketchup!